out of our 19 for friday we have

Ben Jones-Bishop
Kallum Watkins<he signed for leeds when he was 16 from salford but he also came through our junior academy system> what is the cut off point?

Ryan Hall<played for our academy as well as oulton raiders,but home produced>
Rob Burrow
Paul McShane
Carl Ablett
Kevin Sinfield (c)
Lee Smith
Chris Clarkson
Richard Moore <started out in the rhinos academy>
Liam Hood
Stevie Ward

great to see for the sake of rugby in general. Wire, Stains, Leeds and Wigan all have great youth systems and it's the quality that's being churned off these conveyors that will stand all for clubs in good stead in the future.

Its a bid odd that Leeds can somehow count Richard Moore though. Even if we can, it doesn't feel right.

It seems that SL sides are gradually realising that overseas signings aren't the way forward, and from what I've seen the current crop of British backs across SL is far better than it has been for a long time. What I'm liking is seeing lads with size as well as pace.

A couple of years ago I was at a hotel where the NSW squad was staying, and we shared a buffet with them - all huge blokes, right across the team. At the end of that same season I passed Mark Calderwood and Lee Smith coming out of a (cr*ppy) hotel in Brisbane and I couldn't believe how weedy they looked in comparison. It was seriously hard to believe that Lee Smith would be facing Greg Inglis in the real world.

Whilst Tony Smith messed up with GB, I have to say I felt some sympathy for him simply on the basis of the players he had available. Thankfully the likes of Hall, Watkins and Charnley at least look like they wouldn't wet themselves at the thought of facing the Aussies.